| FEAT U R E |
Anatomy of an Evacuation One Colorado housing professional’s account of the devastating Waldo Canyon Fire By Kelly Sieber
Tuesday, June 26: Fire rages across the southern border of the Air Force Academy
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aldo Canyon is a popular hiking area on the west side of Colorado Springs. With elevations ranging from 7,100 to 8,100 feet, the 6.8 miles of trail provide breathtaking views of the canyon and Pikes Peak. The fire started on Saturday, June 23, 2012, approximately four miles northwest of Colorado Springs, and was declared 100 percent contained on July 10, 2012. In all, the fire consumed 18,247 acres (28.5 square miles), and burned 346 homes to the ground, along with the Flying W Ranch, a Colorado Springs landmark built in 1953. Sadly, there were at least six injuries and two deaths. This is my story.
Monday, June 25, 2012 I had just returned home from a wonderful long weekend with a life-long friend in Estes Park. Although I had heard of the fire in Colorado Springs, I was so engrossed in my weekend activities that I didn’t pay much attention to it, and certainly didn’t think it would affect the lives of so many people, let alone those residing on the Air Force Academy grounds where I work.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012 I returned to work, and at 6:30 a.m., I saw a light, smoky haze in Pine Valley, where the housing office is located. It smelled like a campfire. By 11:00 a.m., a change in fire conditions warranted an urgent briefing at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) 12 Defense Communities
scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The Community Manager for Forest City Residential Management Amanda Bailey and I were included. Having never been involved in this type of emergency operation in my 23-year housing career, I was excited housing was included and proud to be part of it. The Deputy Fire Chief had been at the fire site. He reported an enormous growth in the fire and smoke activity, which was increasing at an alarming rate. Most important, a 100 percent ember catch rate produced a big surge. Firefighters were creating fire breaks to protect the Academy, along with Rampart Reservoir, which provides the drinking water for Colorado Springs. Queen’s Canyon would be a trigger point. If the fire made it here, there would be no good place to make a stand, as there were no roads, trails, or natural barriers. I was impressed watching my senior Air Force leaders discuss everything from weather, the anatomy of the fire, areas of responsibility for a potential evacuation, and the effect the fire would have on in-processing 1,053 new cadets two days later. By the end of the briefing, no one imagined that the expected 48-hour decision-making window would shrink to just five hours. Ash was falling from the sky when Amanda and I returned to the office. Forest City’s phones were ringing nonstop with calls from residents about the fire. At approximately 3:30 p.m., news reports stated the fire had started uphill towards the peak and heavy flames started coming down from the west into the Canyon. At 4:06 p.m., flames were seen on the ridge, followed by subsequent reports of a heavy fire moving quickly.